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CO - Violet Newman, 57, Arapahoe County, Oct. 25, 1980.

" - It's been 35 years since the brutal murder of a mother, and Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office investigators are still looking for her killer.

Around 5 p.m. on Oct. 25, 1980, Violet Newman, a 57-year-old married mother of four, left from work at what was then the Southglenn Mall."

Snip

"Hikers found Violet's body in the Castlewood Canyon around 2:15 p.m. the next day. Violet was nude, and covered in a plain white sheet. She had been shot once in the head. Investigators determined she may have been sexually assaulted."

Snip

"Deputies found her station wagon three blocks from Violet's home. Investigators say a witness described the man parking her vehicle as a young, white man, who was alone. They estimate the car was parked there between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Oct. 25.

The same day, a woman reported being approached by a male with a firearm, demanding a ride, in the May D&F parking lot. He's described as a white man with short red hair, and a pug nose. Investigators don't know for sure if he is related to the case, but say there may be some connection between this man and Violet's murder."

"Hikers found Violet's body in the Castlewood Canyon around 2:15 p.m. the next day. Violet was nude, and covered in a plain white sheet. She had been shot once in the head. Investigators determined she may have been sexually assaulted."

Assuming this is a euphemism for raped, I wonder why this point is unclear.

Was she swabbed for semen? Obviously the presence of semen wouldn't have been definitive in the days before DNA since that could be her husband's unless they had not had sex for more than 3 days - not too unusual in an older couple.

Was there evidence of bruising and abrasions, which one would expect in a violent assault?

Apart from anything else, it would be fairly unusual for a woman of that age to be raped. There are men who target middle aged and elderly women for sexual assault but they are rare compared to those who choose much younger victims.

Had the man seen leaving her car been more or less her own age I'd query whether it was her husband or a lover.

This article (on LE procedure), is much more explicit. Sexual assault did occur. "Last month, Arapahoe County investigator Bruce Isaacson presented a case of Violet Newman, a 56-year-old woman who in October 1980 was kidnapped, raped and shot to death."

Familial DNA does seem like a good possibility for a case like this. The passage of time seems likely to have lessened the likelihood of many other avenues turning things up.

There appears to have been at least one serial killer active in the greater Arapahoe County area during that time, one who left victims naked and outdoors. They targeted much younger women though, and treated the bodies with much more disdain. This seems quite different.

This article (on LE procedure), is much more explicit. Sexual assault did occur. "Last month, Arapahoe County investigator Bruce Isaacson presented a case of Violet Newman, a 56-year-old woman who in October 1980 was kidnapped, raped and shot to death."